Health topics – FOASPS JLN

Deafness and hearing loss

FOASPS — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 18:57:54 +0000

Deafness and hearing loss remain a public health problem for a variety of reasons. In fact, a person is said to be hard of hearing if he or she cannot hear at sound levels equal to or greater than 20 dB in both ears. The deficiency may affect one or both ears. Deafness and hearing loss can be congenital or due to noise-induced hearing loss, or linked to age and/or ototoxic drugs that damage the inner ear.

Smoking

FOASPS — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 18:57:34 +0000

The term tobacco addiction defines a state of chronic intoxication by tobacco; or addiction caused by tobacco. (Its synonym is nicotinism). Smoking is a real public health problem for a number of reasons: (i) most tobacco-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, which are often the victims of tobacco industry interference and where intensive marketing strategies are implemented by these tobacco industries; (ii) the notion of passive smoking is an expression to account for the harmful effect of tobacco and nicotine on non-smokers, exposed to the smoke of smokers, and (iii) smoking is the cause of many non-communicable diseases.

Assistive technology

FOASPS — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 18:56:58 +0000

Assistive technologies are a term used to designate all the provisions created to facilitate and promote the integration and participation, particularly of people with reduced mobility, the elderly and those suffering from non-communicable diseases, in everyday life in the private sector and in the workplace. The primary aim of technical aids (also known as assistive products) is to maintain or improve the mobility and autonomy of individuals, thus contributing to their well-being. They enable people to live with dignity, in good health, to be productive and independent, to train and participate in the job market and civic life.

Buruli ulcer

FOASPS — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 18:56:39 +0000

Buruli ulcer is a chronic, debilitating disease that mainly affects the skin and sometimes the bones. It is caused by a mycobacterium belonging to the family of bacteria responsible for tuberculosis and leprosy (called Mycobacterium Ulcerans). The name Buruli comes from a region of Uganda where numerous cases were described in the 1960s, and where the bacterium was isolated.

A single health

FOASPS — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 18:56:25 +0000

The “One Health” principle is an integrated, unifying approach to balancing and sustainably optimizing the health of people, animals and ecosystems. This principle recognizes that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants and the environment in general (including ecosystems) are closely linked and interdependent, and require an integrated, cross-functional approach. The approach mobilizes multiple sectors, disciplines and communities at different levels of society to work together to promote well-being and address threats to health and ecosystems. It’s also about meeting collective needs for clean water, clean energy, clean air and healthy, nutritious food, acting against climate change and contributing to sustainable development.

Vaccines and vaccinations

FOASPS — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 18:56:05 +0000

A vaccine designates either a substance of microbial or synthetic origin (attenuated or killed live micro-organisms, a soluble substance [attenuated toxins, for example], messenger RNA) that is administered to an individual or an animal to immunize it against a disease; or something that immunizes against an evil, a danger: A vaccine against passion.

Aging

FOASPS — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 18:55:50 +0000

Aging should be good news, since it implies a certain longevity. So if ageing has become a public health issue, it’s because of the specific issues of the third age in terms of the health and care of these elderly people in a context where social security contributions are falling while the patients to be covered are increasing, and where ageing has a considerable influence on our behaviour and our exposure to health risks (e.g. air pollution, violence), on our access to services, and so on.

HIV and AIDS

FOASPS — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 18:55:38 +0000

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is an infection that attacks the body’s immune system, in particular the white blood cells known as CD4+ cells. HIV destroys these cells, weakening the effectiveness of the patient’s immune system against infections such as tuberculosis and certain cancers. AIDS (or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is therefore associated with this HIV. It’s important to remember that you can be HIV-positive without developing the disease, but you can continue to transmit the virus. HIV-AIDS moved from a public health to a development issue in the 2000s, when the world became aware of the impact of this condition on productive populations, businesses and development management structures.

Violence against women

FOASPS — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 18:55:23 +0000

Violence against women is a major public health and human rights issue. Domestic violence, particularly sexual violence, is a violation of women’s fundamental rights, rooted in society and perpetuating gender inequality. Worldwide, one in three women is a victim of physical and/or sexual violence in her lifetime, most often inflicted by an intimate partner.

Transfusion safety

FOASPS — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 18:45:19 +0000

This term refers to regulatory and operational provisions designed to ensure safe and efficient blood bank management procedures, including the stages of blood collection, storage and use. The term “hemovigilance” is also often used to describe these measures, which cover the entire blood transfusion chain and standardize the use of blood as a health product.